Senior University representatives have presented a submission to Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, to get the National Broadband Network (NBN) rolled out early to the NSW North Coast.
“Southern Cross University (SCU) is committed to the NBN with the construction of a state-of-the-art research and demonstration ‘broadband hub’ as part of a $10-million upgrade of facilities at its Coffs Harbour campus,” SCU’s Professor of Information Technology and Information Systems, Professor Peter Croll, said.
“The Australian Government had allocated $5 million for rural NBN co-ordinators and the submission advocated that one of these positions should be based at this hub.”
Prof. Croll handed the submission to Ms Saffin in a ceremony at the Lismore Campus at which NSW Minister for Planning, Infrastructure and Lands, Tony Kelly MLC also attended.
The proposal showcases a number of case studies in E-Health, E-Learning, E-Environmental Management, E-Manufacturing, E-Creative Industries, E-Agribusiness, E-Finance, E-Tourism and E-Local Government (to include emergency management) and was simultaneously electronically lodged for assessment with NBN’s government relations and external affairs chief Mike Kaiser and with Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.
Ms Saffin praised the University and its Regional Futures Institute for pulling together a compelling and well-researched case for Australia’s eastern regional corridor – from Tweed Shire to the Great Lakes district south of Port Macquarie – to be among the first communities on mainland Australia to capitalise on the benefits of high-speed fibre broadband.
“They have achieved this within a very short time frame since I arranged for Minister Conroy to visit Grafton late last year for a broadband forum, where he encouraged our region to put its best foot forward,” Ms Saffin said.
“The submission, a collaborative effort involving 14 local councils and businesses at the cutting edge of IT, underlines that we live in a region which has demonstrated early wins though increased productivity and creative innovations. We also boast a combined population of 550,000 people with growth rates on a par with our capital cities.”
Ms Saffin paid tribute to Coffs Harbour Mayor Cr Keith Rhoades and his Economic Development Unit officers Kristina Cooke and Barry Davis, Tweed Shire Council’s Director of Technology and Corporate Services Troy Green, Tweed Economic Development Unit CEO Tom Senti and Northern Rivers Regional Organisation of Councils (NOROC) chair and Lismore Mayor Cr Jenny Dowell, for helping to drive the project.
The submission can be viewed at www.gobroadband.org.au.
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Quelle/Source: The Coff's Coast Advocate, 01.02.2010
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